1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an emergency water reservoir and a method of maintaining an emergency supply of potable water for a building.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During situations in which there is widespread damage to municipalities, municipal water supplies are often interrupted, sometimes for prolonged periods of time. When earthquakes occur municipal water mains frequently break or develop cracks so that the populace served by such water mains is deprived of water altogether, or receives only contaminated water. The absence of an uninterrupted supply of potable water for even short periods of time can cause severe hardship and unhealthy conditions. People in urban areas are highly dependent upon a reliable municipal water supply for many basic needs. When municipal water supplies are interrupted, urban populations not only lack fresh drinking water, but they are also unable to cleanse injuries that have been incurred and they cannot even tend to basic sanitary needs.
Various emergency water supply systems have been devised to attempt to provide some water for household use in the event of a disruption of municipal water supplies. However, in conventional water tanks in which water is stored for emergency uses, there is a very considerable likelihood that water in the tanks will sit without movement for prolonged periods of time. The water thus becomes stagnant and subject to the growth of bacteria, mildew or other fungi. As a result, even though water has been stored and is available for use during emergency situations, it is impure and cannot be used for drinking or washing.
Attempts have been made to solve the problem of degradation of water with prolonged storage by treating the water with disinfectants. Tablets have been developed which, when dissolved in water, release chlorine into the water to kill mildew and bacteria. One problem with such systems is that users are often at a loss to determine the proper concentration of such water disinfectant substances. The ordinary user is not familiar enough with the proper concentrations of disinfectant materials to be applied to disinfect a quantity of water without rendering it unpotable. Excessive concentrations of disinfectant substances render the water unusable for drinking and irritating when applied to a person's skin. If the concentration of disinfectant is too weak, bacteria and fungi will still grow in the water, thereby rendering it unpotable and unsafe for external use.
Also, disinfectant must be periodically applied to the water to maintain the water safe for drinking and washing. Since the water in conventional household emergency water reservoirs is likely to remain unused for a very long period of time, it is quite likely that the necessary periodic treatments with chemical disinfectants will simply be forgotten and that an appropriate treatment schedule will not be observed.
Systems have been devised which provide emergency water reservoirs coupled in series with household plumbing fixtures. Two such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,931,382 and 3,095,893. However, such systems would require extensive modifications to the basic plumbing system for a building, and result in an emergency water reservoir which may be inconveniently located or even inaccessible.